2 guilty in SDSU mini-dorm case

A home near 55th Street and Montezuma Road that accommodated eight tenants late last year instead of the allowed six, violating a city of San Diego ordinance used to crack down on mini-dorms.
Lily Leung

A real estate broker and a property owner have been found guilty of violating a San Diego city ordinance that cracks down on mini-dorms, privately owned homes rented out to college students. The recent case sheds light again on a recurring issue around the San Diego State University campus that has gone on for decades.

Keith Henderson, the broker, and Shawn Ann Sullivan, the owner, pleaded guilty in San Diego Superior Court last month to maintaining a single-family home occupied by six or more adults without getting a required high-occupancy permit. The property in question, near Montezuma Road and 55th Street, housed six SDSU students during the school year, city officials said.

Henderson, who served as a property manager, and Sullivan operate other mini-dorms around campus. As part of court terms, Henderson needs to bring all properties he manages up to code by mid-July, said Jon Dwyer, the deputy city attorney in the case. Mini-dorms are privately owned homes that are rented out to students and are often modified to fit more people. For decades, residents have complained that these properties have brought about parking and noise issues to the College area.

"It continues to be an issue in the (San Diego) State area," Dwyer said. "And it's a real safety concern for the students when it comes to the overcrowding issue ... with improper exits and entrances."

Henderson, the real estate agent, pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining a structure without a required building permit, one count of unlawfully reducing off-street parking and one count of maintaining a single-family home occupied by six or more adults without obtaining the required permit. Henderson is required to pay a $3,000 fine, $4,912.79 in investigative costs, and serve 30 days of public work service, the city attorney's office said. He also has to complete a three-hour ethics course for property managers.

Sullivan, who could not be reached for comment, pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining a single-family home occupied by six or more adults without obtaining the required permit. She is required to pay the city of San Diego more than $3,154.71 in investigative costs, court records show.

Henderson said he's made an honest business for the past five years selling and managing College real estate to everyone from investors to students' parents. He said he has shut down his property management business and is working to make sure all the properties he oversees meet city code.

The city of San Diego ordinance that requires landlords to obtain residential high-occupancy permits for homes with six or more adults has been active since 2008. But Henderson said he's noticed city officials increasing enforcement since the fall.

The Henderson-Sullivan case is among roughly 30-plus similar cases that have been opened in the College area since the fall, city records show. More than a dozen of those homes have been brought to compliance, some homeowners have been fined and a few violations have been sent to the city attorney's office, based on a U-T San Diego review of code-compliance records.